Want to know where dOP, Noze, and Circus Company come from? Look no further than Ark, whose freewheeling sound has had a massive impact on the French house scene. As RA's Oli Warwick finds out, though, mellow is now the norm for the DJ/producer. (Well, kinda.)

Plenty of artists use as many instruments as they can. Benjamin Brunn has made his career on mastering just a few. RA's Chris Burkhalter investigates the very deep machine love the producer has for his Clavia Nord Modular.